24h Le Mans
Stalwart of Toyota since his return to endurance in 2012, the Austrian Alex Wurz intends to win his third 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Japanese manufacturer. He had previously won in La Sarthe with two different unusual cars.
Photo : DR / Archives ACO
In 1996, Alex Wurz was 22 years old and at the start of his first 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of a unique car. Called Joest TWR Porsche WSC, the open cockpit car came from a Jaguar XJR14 closed prototype designed five years earlier, but the only model entered won the race! Manuel Reuter won his second victory after the one he had achieved with Mercedes in 1989, Davy Jones is still the last American driver to win at Le Mans…while Wurz became the youngest ever to win!
After a long career in Formula 1, the Austrian returned to La Sarthe with Peugeot. In 2008, at the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP, he was at the heart of a diesel engine duel between Peugeot (whose other specificity was the use of a particle filter that limited emissions) and Audi. In 2008, he finished fifth after the pole position scored by his teammate Stéphane Sarrazin. The following year, he won his second victory, along with the Australian David Brabham and the Spaniard Marc Gené. In 2014, Alex Wurz is still one of Audi's best opponents, this time with Toyota. Second at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), he is now in the quest of a third victory with a third different manufacturer, further solidifiying his singularity in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For more information about Alex Wurz go to his official website and Twitter.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, JUNE 15-16, 1996. For his Le Mans debut, Alex Wurz won his first victory at the wheel of the Joest-Porsche TWR prototype, teaming up with Manuel Reuter and Davy Jones.
INFORMATION
24 HOURS OF LE MANS - June 14 & 15, 2014
